Everytime I see The Exorcist 3, I'm reminded how stupid most people must be. You see, I remember wanting to see this movie during its theatrical run, but missing out because it only ran for one lousy week! Presumably this was because no one was going to see it, despite it being one of the finest horror films made during the late-eighties/early-nineties horror drought. Blatty's follow up wisely ignores Part 2 and provides us with a genuinely chilling combination of murder mystery and supernatural horror. Not only is this movie damn creepy, but it also provides some wonderfully witty dialog, particularly between Scott and Flanders. There's a depth of character in this picture that we rarely see in horror films. It also features one shot which never fails to scare the shit out of me, even when I review it five seconds later to admire its brilliance. Despite one slightly cheesy looking effect (and a character's reaction which would seem more at home in a Troma picture), I can't even begin to understand why The Exorcist 3 has not been more highly regarded.

The transfer on this disc is pretty good. No film damage to speak off, and colurs are vibrant. Dark scenes (and there are plenty of them) provide plenty of detail but are occasionally a little cloudy. It's no secret that you're watching an NTSC disc as there are a few moments where 3:2 pulldown is apparent, but overall it's not distracting.

Unfortunately the sound on this disc has one major flaw. Hiss. Many of the quieter dialog-heavy sequences have so much background hiss that it's quite hard to concentrate on what's being said. It's hard to understand why this is, given that some scenes don't have this problem. They also have the nerve of listing the Remastered Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack as a special feature! Don't expect any activity from your surrounds either.

Extra Features? Just a trailer I'm afraid. But, being that you can probably find this for under $15 US, and being that it's just such a great darn picture, it's worth getting. I'll just be mighty pissed if a hissless Region 4 version comes out.

Whoah, I just realized the first line of this review rhymes!